a fire was reported in a three family house mid morning wednesday last week there were many fatalities on the first floor lived a black family fatalities on the second floor lived a mexican family fatalities on the third floor lived a white family of no fatalities a reporter at the scene made headlines with this story immediately the fire chief and his department were attacked by naacp jesse jackson and other black rights groups as well as the mexican consulate as being racist in their handling of the fire and loss of life issues there was some unsettling discomfort when questioned further the fire chief explained why the family on the third floor survived the fire and the others did not his only response was they were at work